Aaron

Thanks for all the responses guys. I am new to handguns but not guns in general. I have been around guns my whole life. I just bought an 870 Super Mag, that I LOVE. The handgun would be mainly for target and recreational shooting but something I could use in defense if necesary. I dont have a concealed carry permit and probably wont try to get one for a while. As for regulations i live in KY and I dont think there are many but I will look into that more before I buy. My budget is about $500. I realize the importance of safety when dealing with guns especially handguns. I would devote the necessary time to practicing and familiarizing myself with the gun. Thanks for your post Tom that brought a lot of things to my attention that I hadn't thought about.

I am planning on buying a handgun in the near future. Does anyone have any recomendations? I am wanting something for rec shooting as well as defense. I am leaning towards a semi auto, probably a .40 caliber. But a revolver is not out of the question. Thanks for any help

I just wanted to say how pleased I am with my dealings with this seller. I messed up my order and bought the wrong rod. I emailed him as soon as the auction ended and he took care of my problem. I ordered the rod over the weekend and received it today. If anyone needs a loomis rod you should check him out on ebay.

I use Gamma Copolymer on almost all of my rigs. Everything from 4# up to 17#. I love this stuff.

I would look at Penn Reels if I was you. There are some steals on ebay. I just got a Penn 309 for 30.

Thanks for all your comments guys. I went with an IMX. I just bought a MBR782C off ebay from fatfishfarmer (what a great guy). Cant wait to get it.

Which is the better rod? Or are they not even comparable? I have an IMX that I love but I have never fished with high end St Croix.

I have also had the pleasure of fishing with Bud. He put me in some places I had never got to fish before and I learned a lot from him. I caught probably my biggest bass of the year with Bud.

Thans for the replies guys. I have modified one of my rods to be a split grip bit is not pretty to look at. I like to fish with it though so I decided to look for one made with the split grips. I had seen that powell rod before but forgot about it. I will have to look at it again. I am also looking at a gblanks rod. I won't sacrifice quality just for the split grips though so i may just get an Avid or something similar. Any more info is appreciated.

I have a Curado 100D that I love but I use it for soft plastics and jigs and it works well for me. I also have a TD Advantage but its not the supertuned one, I don't use it much but it seems like a really good reel, Im sure the supertuned is even better. How do you like your gblanks rod? I have been looking at them but Im not sure about them. Where did you get yours?

I have a gander mountain rain jacket that I LOVE. It is not the TechH20 though, I thnk mine is a step down. It has been really good to me becasue I have fished some heavy rains and stayed dry. I wish they were marked down at my Gander Mountain b/c I want some of those bibs.

Do any of the major rod manufacturers make rods with the split grip on them? I modified one of my rods and like the split grip and was wanting it on my new rod. I am looking for something in the 6'6" Med Fast range. I will use this for cranks, topwaters, spinnerbaits, and other lures. I am looking for something in the same price range as an Avid. This will be a casting set up with a Curado 200 DPV (or whatever the 5.1:1 is called)

Im a full time student at Murray State University majoring in Occupational Safety & Health. I also work midnights at Pella Corporation where I drive a forklift.

I am prety sure that is the case. I think I remember reading it one of the local papers a while back. As for what caused the change I can't remember.

I turned 21 this past weekend (10/29) and had my first beer. I had sampled a few but nothing too serious. I had a Killians Irish Red. It was pretty good but a little stout. Of the few that I had tried I always liked the darker ones so thats what I went with. Any other reccomendations for good beers?

1970 Chevelle malibu 4 door. 350 v8. paid 900 of my own hard earned money for it. drove it everyday through high school till the engine went out and sold her for parts. still wish i had that car so i could fix her up. that was only 3 years ago.

I hate being late too. And I hate waiting on people. The guy I usually fish with is always 15 - 30 minutes late for EVERYTHING, but its his boat so I have to deal with that. Any other time though he gets a good a** chewing or gets left.

I would go with a St. Croix Triumph. I have a spinning rod in that lineup and I LOVE it. I don't know of a better rod in the 50-70 range.

I would love to fish in Florida, Texas or California for big bass. I feel bad though because I live w/in 5 minutes of KY lake (already mentioned twice in this thread) and take it for granted. I can be fishing KY or Barkely in 5-10 minutes. I don't ever do as well as the stories I hear about my homelake so I have never personally seen the potential. I need to try harder I guess.

I too fish Shimano almost exclusively. All my higher end stuff is Shimano. I don't really have the urge to switch companies, I love my Shimanos. Anyway, I sent them an email a few months ago asking about where to purchase one of the hats and they said they would send me a promo one. I never got it. Im not mad because it just a free promotional item but I would have still like to have a Shimano hat. I still buy Shimano reels and will probably continue to do so for years to come.

What do anglers mean when they refer to patterns? I hear this a lot but I'm not sure what people are talking about. I think it means where fish are holding at the time and/or what type of lures are working the best. Am I correct?

Bill Dance and Hank Parker. I also like to watch Roland MArtin and Jimmy Houston on occasion, but my dad has met both of them and says they're jerks.

Thanks for the help guys. I didn't get to implement these tasks today. We ended up going crappie fishing, with no luck. Thanks though. I will remember these for next time.

Im going fishing in the moring and need some advice. We had a lot of rain the past couple days and the lakes are muddy. What is my best bet to catch some bass? Ky and Barkley lake are never realy clear but today they were muddier than normal. What lures, colors, etc?

I have to cast a vote for Ky. I live in west KY and there is some great fishing here. We have LM, SM, cats, and some great crappie fishing. We also have some sauger that can be caught in the winter. Theres also LBL and some great deer hunting. Plus the cost of livng is low and the people are great. NAshville is a short drive away and St, Louis isnt much further. I use to take all of this for granted until i met a bunch of people that make annual trips down here to enjoy our wonderful lakes and other outdoor activities.